Chaperone
by NancyMay
Summary: So Matthew has moved in, wht will the good ladies of Ballarat think?


Jean felt that suggesting Matthew lodge with them was the best for everyone. He would have a more comfortable home, be well fed and his doctor on hand, and she would have a chaperone. Not that she needed chaperoning, except perhaps against herself; Lucien was a perfect gentleman, cheeky suggestions notwithstanding.

The gossips of Ballarat didn't see it that way, well they wouldn't would they?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMatthew had settled well into their home. He was grateful to be asked, he held Jean in high regard, always had done. He was happy for his friends and knew it would have happened ages ago if not for the sudden and most unexpected reappearance of Blake's Chinese wife.

Lucien drove him down to the station each morning if Charlie was on a different shift, and either stayed if he had work in the morgue or drove back home to attend to surgery. All was going well, even if one or two ladies had looked askance at Jean when they found out she now had three! men living with her.

It started when, for a change, Jean had driven Matthew to the station. Lucien had some patient notes to catch up on, Charlie was on nights so she said she would drop him off before heading to the market to re fill the cupboards and fridge. As she held the door open for his he gave her a big smile and squeezed her hand as she handed him his briefcase and stick.

'Thanks, Jean.' He murmured, 'I'll ring if I need a lift home.'

'Be sure you do,' she teased, 'can't have Lucien thinking I'm not looking after you.'

'What would we do without you?'

'Oh I'm sure you'd manage,' she smiled and got back into the car.

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The market was busy as she wandered through choosing vegetables and fruit, extra because of Matthew and because she had the car so she could easily expand her shop.

'Big shop today, Mrs Beazley?' The fruiterer remarked as he weighed some apples.

'Extra mouth to feed,' she replied cheerfully. 'Superintendant Lawson is staying with us.'

'Best apples then,' he grinned.

Jean laughed and handed over the money for the apples and other fruit she had chosen. She headed for the car with the fruit and vegetables, before she went to the butchers. Heads turned and eyes followed her, surely Jean Beazley wasn't living with her fiancé (in the process of divorcing his first wife for her) _and_ two other unmarried men?! Lips were drawn into tight lines.

Jean didn't notice the looks or the tiny bit of chatter, she was used to it and had decided to ignore it long ago, well, as much as she could. She stepped into the butcher's and perused the meat on display,

'Mrs Beazley, how can I help you?'

'Sausages, bacon; a pound of each; a chicken, I think, oh, a pound of minced beef, too, please.' That would take care of breakfasts and at least two evening meals.

'Feeding the five thousand?' The butcher weighed her meat.

'Just two police officers and the doctor.' She grinned, 'nothing unusual.' It was well known that Jean Beazley cooked for many guests that the doctor invited over.

By the time she had finished her shopping, getting baking ingredients and a few magazines for the waiting room word had got round. She came out of the newsagents and noticed some behind hand whispering and eyes looking swiftly away from her.

'Hmm...' she mused, 'what have I done this time?' She felt it was bordering paranoia to think she was again being targeted but there was nobody else near her that could be on the receiving end of gossip.

She drove home and put the shopping away, then put the kettle on. Lucien was probably still in the study so she headed there to see if he wanted a cuppa.

He looked up and smiled,

'Hello, shopping done?' He stood up and held his arms out to her and she stepped into the circle of love.

'Yes, do you want a cup of tea?' She lifted her face for a kiss.

'That would be lovely,' he grinned, 'but first...' he pulled her into a proper lover's kiss. She giggled and pushed away.

'Later,' she wiped the lipstick off his mouth and left him to think about that.

Having Matthew in the house meant he had to curtail the urge to grab Jean and kiss her at every possible opportunity, so while he was at the station should be a perfect opportunity. That being so, Lucien headed out to the kitchen where Jean was making tea. He watched her from the door, happily, he thought, humming away to the radio, warming the pot, then adding the leaves.

She knew he was there, she always knew, so she didn't turn round until she stopped smiling.

'Nothing better to do with your time, doctor?' She chided.

'Thought you might need a hand,' he was by her side in three strides.

'I think I can make tea, Lucien,' she smiled and tiptoed up to kiss his cheek, but you can carry the tray to the study, if you really want to be useful.'

'Your wish is my command.'

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Matthew was more than aware that Jean and Lucien needed time together at the end of the day. He excused himself early in the evenings, to read or to rest, after all he was an injured officer. Charlie had long ago come to the same conclusion and would spend his evenings out with Rose or in his room, also with Rose, if he could get away with it! Not easy, with her uncle there.

Jean snuggled into Lucien's side and sighed.

'You ok, love?' He put his arm round her, 'you were quiet at dinner.'

'I'm fine, thank you.' she turned and smiled, 'I've noticed the behind hand whispers starting up again, that's all.'

'Oh, when?' He thought most of that was over and done with. True there were some looks she got, if they were out together, but she had decided that it wasn't worth bothering about, she knew the truth. Now it looked like she was bothered about it, again.

'After Matthew moved in.' She kept her voice low, 'I was quite open about it, after all, he's a respected member of the community and I would have thought regarded as a chaperone, not someone else I was sleeping with.' She huffed.

'Bloody hell.' He hissed, 'have they nothing else to do but talk and snipe about someone who has not done anything wrong?'

'Don't worry, darling,' she snuggled closer, 'it'll blow over. Now, there's nobody else here so I think it's safe to kiss me.'

'Oh, Jeanie.' He lowered his head to hers and obliged.

They stayed there for some time, kissing. She thought of the evening the other week when she had nearly gone down to his room in something much more alluring than her usual pyjamas and dressing gown. Maybe one night she'd have the strength to actually carry out that desire. But for now,

'I'd better go up.' She pulled away. 'Good night, dear Lucien.'

'Goodnight, sweetheart.' He stood and escorted her to the foot of the stairs for another kiss before watching her go up, her hips moving from side to side, enticingly. If he wasn't careful he'd need a cold shower!

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He lay in bed wondering how they could stop the gossip. He would like to go into town and shout from the rooftops that Jean Beazley was the most upright and moral person he had ever had the good fortune to meet, and, perhaps, to paraphrase the good Lord, 'let he, or she, who is without sin, cast the first stone.'

He picked up the paper he had taken with him to finish the crossword before he finally settled for the night.

The last clue solved, and feeling rather pleased with himself, it wasn't a cryptic crossword, he put the pages back in the right order. On the page with the local groups news and views he noticed an advert for speakers at the Ladies Circle, who met once a month. Hmm...perhaps.

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'Jean ok?' Matthew asked, as Lucien drove him to the station.

'Yes, why?' They'd both seen her at breakfast and she had been as cheerful as usual, almost.

'Well, she doesn't usually ask you to pick up shopping, does she?' Matthew and Lucien kept their eyes straight ahead. 'And she seemed quieter.'

Lucien's shoulders dropped a little, Jean had asked him not to say anything to Matthew. She didn't want him to feel guilty.

'There's been some gossip...' the doctor admitted, '...about her having another unmarried man in the house.'

'Bloody hell.' Matthew muttered, 'I thought I was an upright citizen not some skirt-chaser. What can we do?'

'I was wondering the same, but don't tell her I've told you.' Lucien pulled up in by the station, 'though...' he turned to his friend, '...the Ladies Circle are looking for speakers.'

'Don't you bloody dare.' Matthew warned.

'I was thinking something along the lines of 'let he who is without sin...' but not aimed directly at gossip. Perhaps something about how gossip can have an effect on solving cases, leads the police down the wrong track, making assumptions...' He handed Matthew his stick.

'Leave it with me.' Matthew smiled.

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Lucien knocked on Jean's door, he was alarmed at her pale face when he arrived back for surgery. When he'd asked her if she was feeling alright she had sniffed and fled upstairs.

'Jean?' He called softly, 'Jeanie?'

She opened the door, no point in hiding her distress, he would work it out eventually.

'Lucien..' she hiccupped 'I'll be alright in a minute.'

'What happened?' He took half a step forward, just over the threshold of her room. 'More whispers?'

'No,' she hadn't wanted to tell him, but there had been silent phone calls. She was sure it was only one person and thought she could handle it, until today.

'It wasn't silent this time, just one word...' she was too embarrassed to tell him what she had been called over the phone, but he could well imagine. He reached out and she let him pull her into a safe, warm hug.

'I think I'd better take all the calls for now, or Charlie and Matthew.' He stroked her head and kissed it. I'll see if Matthew can contact the exchange and set up a call tracking for a week.'

'Lucien,' she felt better now, 'I don't think it's any of the regular gossips, Dorothy Turner was talking to some of the others and they were coming round to the fact that Matthew Lawson was a police superintendant and more likely to put a stop to any misbehaviour because it wouldn't do for the police surgeon to be caught bringing the service into disrepute.'

'It's my business that would suffer, and it doesn't seem to be.' He tipped her face so he could look into her green eyes. 'So perhaps you are right.'

'I'm sorry, I should have said something, but I thought it would blow over.' Jean smiled a watery smile.

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Matthew was appalled that Jean was being targeted so viciously.

'Davies,' he called his housemate over, 'get down to the exchange, all calls to Dr Blake are to be monitored. Time and duration and point of origin. One week.'

'Boss.' Charlie headed off, while Matthew took a call.

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The superintendant was smirking when he got back, pen in hand over a piece of writing. Lucien's idea had paid off, subject of his choice but would the superintendant care to give a talk to the Ladies Circle that week. It was short notice, for which Susan Tyneman apologised, but she thought he would have something of interest to tell them.

Matthew's subject was the use of local knowledge in the solving of cases and the importance of accuracy and not hearsay in the apprehending of criminals. He hoped that, indirectly, he would help them to understand that gossip was neither helpful nor fair if it sent them in the direction of someone totally innocent of _any_ wrongdoing. He even found a few examples.

Charlie had found a problem at the exchange, there was a shortage of staff and it would be hard to monitor all the calls.

'Send Ned.' Matthew pursed his lips, 'he's only looking at Blake's line, I'm sure they can show him how to do that.'

'Right-ho!'

Ned, like most of the officers in Ballarat, would do anything for Mrs Beazley and thought he could handle a few shifts at the exchange.

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For the next few days Matthew asked her if she could bear to answer the phone, as they were trying to track whoever it was that was calling. He apologised for having to put her through it, and for him being the cause of everything,

'It's not your fault, Matthew.' Jean touched his arm as she served him his breakfast, 'I won't have you blaming yourself. I'm sure I can cope, now I know something is being tried.'

'It's just that if we answer the phone it's going to be put down immediately and Ned needs a little time to trace the line...' he felt he was rambling.

'Matthew...' she smiled, '...stop. It will be ok. Whoever it is doesn't know me or you very well.'

'Any newcomers in town?' He asked, somewhat relieved that she was taking all so well, now.

'I don't know, nobody has said anything and I haven't noticed any strangers in particular. But...' she stood looking at the men at her table, 'I don't know every one, you know.'

'Just nearly everyone.' Lucien stood up and took his plate to the sink.

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Ned got the hang of the exchange so quickly they offered him a permanent job if he should ever tire of the police force. There were only three women in the office at any one time, who fawned over him, made him cups of tea, offered him cakes and biscuits. He had to refuse many of the cups of tea or he would spend most of the shift in the lavatory, but somehow he seemed to miss any calls to Jean, or none happened when he was actually at his station. It would seem that the calls were made when he had to leave for a 'comfort break'.

He sat watching the other ladies. They were all very busy so how could he find out who it was, for now he was certain it was one of them. The layout of the office was such that he could stay out of sight during a break from his desk.

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Jean had found a way to take the hurt out of the name calling, having decided that being very pleasant in her reply, rather than slamming the phone down would disarm, rather than inflame the caller. It was only a form of bullying, she said to Lucien. Matthew, Charlie and Lucien all knew when she had one of the calls because her reply would be,

'Thank you for calling,' or 'how nice,' or 'most kind.'

To reply 'most kind,' to someone who had just inferred she was engage in the oldest profession was actually rather amusing. She even asked, once, if the caller would like a price list! Lucien left the kitchen to roar with laughter in the study until she came to find him with a cheeky grin on her face.

'Are you enjoying yourself?' He laughed.

'Well, when I was at school I found that if you were nice to the bullies or ignored them they moved on to someone else.' She stepped close to be held, 'I don't want anyone else to go through this, but if I appear upset it will only get worse.'

He wrapped his arms round her,

'It does still hurt though, and it hurts Matthew, and that is unforgiveable.' She leant against his chest to listen to the steady, strong rhythm of his heartbeat.

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Ned excused himself and headed for the tiny washroom then ducked down behind the desk. Sure enough he heard a voice, low and mean, just one word and it wasn't pleasant. He had listened to their chatter for enough hours to recognise who it was, the newest member of the team, new in town and he realised one with an ear for gossip, always asking about the notable citizens in the town. She had hung on the information about Dr Blake, had even brought in the news that another man was now resident at the house. The other ladies had dismissed it, saying that his housekeeper had been there for some years, and was now his fiancée. They happened to be supporters of Jean, she was always pleasant to them and Dr Blake was their GP.

Ned knew if he left there and then she would know she had been rumbled. But why on earth would she do this? Was it just to make Jean uncomfortable, or to make her give up and leave? Mrs Beazley was stronger than that and the doc, he'd defend her with his life.

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Charlie was sent to bring in the woman who was upsetting his landlady. At first she denied it, why would she, she didn't know Mrs Beazley. but Ned had written down the time of the call that had alerted him and exactly what she said.

'Sybil Parker?' Lucien arrived in the interview room. 'Surely not?'

'You know her, Blake?' Matthew turned.

'Monica's sister.' Lucien sat down, 'Sybil, have you been ringing my house and insulting my fiancée?'

Sybil looked down.

'You left Monica.' She muttered. 'You hurt her then and you hurt her later when you said her son used drugs to enhance his sporting ability.'

'Well, he did.' Lucien sat back, 'it was years ago, when I left Ballarat. Monica and I have both moved on, things have changed, Sybil.'

'You should have married her.'

'I was eighteen.' Lucien leant forward, 'no job, no prospects, she wouldn't have wanted what I could give her, nothing.'

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'So Monica's sister thought she could bring the two of you back together?' Jean sipped her evening sherry, 'but she's married. Monica would never leave her husband for a memory.'

'Monica wasn't best pleased when she found out that Sybil was the cause of the gossip, which she never took part in, by the way.' Lucien poured Matthew and Charlie a whisky. 'She's told Sybil to get back to her home in Bendigo. Apparently she had a tiff with her husband and walked out.'

'Some people...' Jean rolled her eyes, 'so I can answer the phone now?'

'If you get any more rude calls, we'll send in Ned.' Matthew laughed, 'the girls at the exchange love him.'

'Poor boy,' Jean sighed, 'thank him for me, won't you.'

'Of course.'

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I know, completely unlikely, but it occurred to me that if Jean was talked about because she is engaged to Lucien, (looks from ladies in the restaurant) then with another single male in the house...

Please forgive my ramblings.


End file.
